
ISLAMABAD:
On Thursday, the Supreme Court (SC) asked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to comment on whether it agreed with the current administration’s recent changes to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999.
Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), filed a case contesting the changes the government made to the NAO-1999. The appeal was heard by a three-member bench, which included Chief Justice Umer Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsen, and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah.
At the request of Makhdoom Ali Khan, counsel for the federal government, the court requested a written response from the anti-graft organization.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was also ordered by the court to deliver a thorough report outlining the scope of the cases’ ongoing investigations as well as their importance.
Continuing his arguments before the court, Khawaja Haris, the attorney for PTI Chairman Imran Khan, said that the supreme court had already issued directives for passing legislation several times.
The attorney brought up the fact that the Supreme Court had also granted the Parliament time to pass laws for the nomination of the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS). The attorney stated, “In some of the rulings, the Supreme Court had also given the Parliament the necessary draught of the legislation.”
Kh Haris argued that only those cases that were closed under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) were reopened in the NRO case.
The PTI chairman’s attorney questioned how the NAB legislation revisions imposed by the current administration would allow cases involving accused individuals who had been found guilty by the courts to be closed after their convictions. The learned attorney said that he still needed two days to wrap up his arguments when Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah questioned whether he had finished his arguments.
However, the court delayed the hearing until Monday, December 11, 2022, with the lawyer directed to finish his arguments.